Entre Las Lineas aka Between the Lines
by CSIobsessed444
Summary: When a new lab tech joins the team, her past will unexpectedly come back to her. Can she forget about what could have been and move on, or are the old feelings too strong? Majority english with a few spanish words. Happens during season 2. R&R please!
1. Bienvenido de nuevo

Entre las lineas

"Between the Lines"

Chapter 1: Bienvenido de nuevo

**A/N: Hey people! It's been a while since I've written, but I'm back! FYI, all of the chapter titles will be in Spanish and I'll translate them at the beginning of each chapter. The title of this chapter means welcome back. I will also be incorporating a few characters from the play "In the Heights", since it takes place where my OC lives. If the characters talk in Spanish, I'll put it in Italics and translate it at the end of each chapter. Her thinking will also be in Italics, not to confuse you or anything. Thanks and Enjoy!**

The warm sunlight of the early morning enveloped the small apartment and woke its inhabitant. Birds chirped outside, coffee shops and bakeries opened their doors for business, and the world slowly started to wake up and, in a drowsy state, started to function as it did every morning.

But one young lab tech refused to accept this reality that it was time to wake up, and decided to cover her head with her pillow instead. She groaned softly under the pillow and turned her head away from the window, hoping to fall asleep for just ten more minutes before she would force herself to get up and get ready for work. More specifically, her first day of work in New York City.

Even though the birds outside were loud, and breathing under the pillow was uncomfortable, Penelope was in such a state of peace that she could feel herself slowly sinking into her mattress and slowly drifting off to sleep. That is, until her alarm went off. Her Blaring alarm flashing the number 6:30 at her told her it was officially time to get up.

She groaned again, much louder this time, slammed her right hand on the snooze button of her alarm, and used both arms to force herself up into a sitting position. She rubbed her eyes and threw both the pillow once on top of her head and the covers aside, and then she turned to the edge of her bed, stretching both her legs and arms at the same time before finally getting up and heading towards her kitchen.

The coffee pot was already done, having been set on a timer the night before so it would be ready when she got up. Penelope poured her first cup of coffee of the day and walked over to the living area, sitting on the couch and turning on the news quickly. There wasn't anything that stood out to her, it was mostly about the Mets game last night and a new healthcare plan being proposed, so she turned it off after a few minutes. Leaving her now empty coffee cup on the coffee table between the couch and the TV, she left to get ready for work. _Must be a slow day,_ she thought to herself.

After a quick shower, taming her very curly hair and applying some light makeup, she got dressed in black slacks and a deep purple blouse, both brand new, that complimented her dark hair and dark eyes. She went around her apartment cleaning up after herself before she left: making her bed, putting towels away, emptying the dishwasher, etc. She tended to be a slob more often than not, so she tried to clean up at least once a week, in case she had unexpected guests. She didn't think there'd be anyone today, she just didn't want to come home to a messy apartment tonight.

Penelope checked her cell phone quickly: 7:52 AM. Her shift didn't start until 9, but she expected to watch the news a bit longer, and she didn't want to be late to her first day of work. She decided to leave anyways; maybe she could grab breakfast on her way in. Slipping on a pair of black heels, she stuffed her newspaper in her work bag, locked up and made her way over to the elevator.

The elevator was empty when she got on, and oddly stayed that way until she got off on the bottom floor. A young couple was leaving as she got off, and a mother was coming back, having dropped her son off at school. She had only lived in this building for six days, but she had gotten to know some of her neighbors, mostly the ones around her age or on her floor. The mother was her next door neighbor, and the couple lived down the hall from her.

Penelope stepped outside and headed down 160th street, the street her apartment was located on. She knew this neighborhood was sketchy when she moved here, but Washington Heights was full of culture, and people just like her. She lived in Puerto Rico when she was a kid and Washington Heights when she was a teenager, and being Latina, she sometimes felt out of place in uptown Manhattan, but she always felt like she belonged here, because this was her home. And it felt really good to be home to her.

She walked into a local bodega one block away for another cup of coffee. Sonny, the owner's cousin, was restocking candy and Usnavi, the owner of the bodega, was sorting the cash register. Both waved to her, and she waved back as Sonny went to get more candy and Usnavi closed the cash register.

"_Hola,_ Usnavi," Penelope greeted. "Un_ café pequeno por favor_."

"M_uy pronto_," Usnavi replied, already pouring her coffee.

This was just another reason Penelope loved Washington Heights. Although her, Usnavi, Sonny and almost everyone else who lived in the _barrio_ spoke fluent English, they all found it easier to speak Spanish because it was their native tongue. It made her feel even more at home, like she was still in Puerto Rico.

"Here's your coffee, P." Usnavi handed her the coffee.

"_Gracias_." Penelope handed him a $5 dollar bill. "Keep the change."

"Thanks!" They waved to each other once more as she left.

She hurried to the subway at 155th street and down the stairs to the turnstiles. Penelope slid her pass card through, pushed through the turnstile, and grabbed the train currently stopped at the station, which was the C train. She checked her cell phone once again: 8:02. Satisfied with her timing, she sat down, pulled out the New York Times_,_ and got comfortable for the ride uptown.

**A/N: Please review, I wanna know what you guys think of the character before I go any further. Here are the Spanish translations for this chapter:**

**Hola: **hello

**Un café pequeno por favor: **small coffee please

**Muy Pronto: **yes, very quickly

**Barrio: **neighborhood

**Gracias: **thank you


	2. La chica nueva

Chapter 2: La chica nueva

**A/N: This chapter title translates to the new girl. In this chapter, she meets the rest of he team and gets a huge surprise. Huge thanks goes out to Axellia, my official beta. Enjoy!**

Penelope got off the subway at 42nd street after her 30 minute ride uptown and walked the rest of the way to the lab, stopping at Starbucks along the way for a bagel and a 3rd cup of coffee. She got a little nervous as she walked through the front doors and rode the crowded elevator up to the 11th floor, where the crime lab was. She had heard great things about Mac Taylor and his team, and as excited as she was to be working under him, she was equally nervous. She wanted to impress them and not just come off as another lab geek.

When the elevator stopped at the 11th floor, she got off and was instantly greeted by Mac Taylor, who was leaning up against the wall right next to the elevator. "I was wondering when you'd get here." He said.

Penelope checked her cell phone: 8:45. She wasn't late. _What did he mean, he was wondering when I'd get here,_ she wondered as he led her down the hall.

"Relax, you're not late." Mac told her as he led her into his office, going behind his desk and rifling through papers as she stood in front of him, clutching the strap of her messenger bag with both hands. "Since you got here early, you can look around before I put you to work."

Penelope sighed quietly as Mac handed her two folders.

"I'll have Adam give you a quick tour, and then I need you to run tox on those two victims. He's in the AV lab." He pointed directly down the hall from them. "Don't take too long."

Penelope nodded at his instructions and hurried down the hall into the AV lab, the folders in one hand and the other holding the strap of her bag, slung over her left shoulder across her. She poked her head around the lab and didn't see anyone, just lots of computers and hi-tech equipment.

Suddenly, she heard a loud noise behind her, and when she turned around, she was face to face with a man about 5'8", with auburn hair that was spiked up, side burns, and a beard but no moustache. She was pretty calm, so she didn't freak out or jump back, but smiled and raised one eyebrow.

"Boo!" The stranger shouted and laughed. "That didn't scare you at all? No?" His smile started to fade as Penelope shook her head no.

"Okay, moving right along…" The person wiped his hands on his pants and stuck his right hand out, his right wrist having a few bracelets. By his plaid shirt, interesting greeting and strange hair, he could be classified as weird, but Penelope decided he was just goofy. "Adam Ross, AV tech. Welcome to my humble abode."

"Penelope Diaz." She shook his hand and took another look around the room. "Nice lab." She turned back to him. "I understand you're going to give me a tour?"

"Why yes I am. If you'll follow me we'll begin." He led her into the hallway and they started down the hall in the opposite direction of Mac's office. "Please no flash photography, videos food or drinks," He nodded to her now empty coffee cup and half eaten bagel, which she promptly threw out, "and keep all hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times. Thank you." This made Penelope giggle once more. She predicted that his guy was probably the office clown/goofball.

"We'll start at the Trace Lab. Now, the names of most things, such as the trace lab or Mac's office, are pretty self-explanatory, so I won't go into too much detail, but what's your field of expertise?"

"I'm in Toxicology."

"Great. The Tox lab is right next to the Trace lab." Adam pointed them out to distinguish them. He went on to show her Ballistics, DNA, QD, Prints, Autopsy, the break room, the locker room, and a few offices along the way until they arrive back at Mac's office.

"Well Miss Penelope Diaz, it has been an honor to be your tour guide and I hope you have an awesome first day."

"Thank you Adam, it was an exceptionally great our." Penelope giggled. "I'll see you later."

Adam went into Mac's office, while Penelope headed to the tox lab to get started. It took her a while to find everything, but once she got started she worked pretty quickly and thoroughly. By the time she finished, it was almost 12:30, so she decided to take her lunch break.

She grabbed her brown leather jacket from the locker room and was just about to get on the elevator when Adam got her attention, waving wildly with both arms and signaling for her to come into the break room.

"I thought you should meet a few people." Adam told her in the break room. He turned to a few people standing at the counter.

"Guys, this is Penelope. She works in tox." Adam introduced her. He pointed to a tall woman with very curly hair eating an apple. "This is Stella Bonasera."

"Hello." Stella smiled. Penelope returned the greeting.

Adam then pointed to an African-American man with square, black glasses eating with chopsticks out of a Chinese food box. "That's Sheldon Hawkes." He also greeted Penelope, similar to Stella.

Adam finished with the last person, a man with spiked brown hair and his arms crossed, leaning on the counter. "And that is Danny Messer."

"Hey." He gave a little wave and rubbed his eyes.

"Lucy keeping you guys up?" Stella joked, throwing the remains of her apple away.

"Yeah, she hasn't grasped the concept of sleeping for more than two hours at a time." Danny replied, pushing his sleeves up and opening a case file. Sheldon snickered and gave Danny a small punch in the arm. "Don't worry, bud. The bags under your eyes are actually a good look for you."

"Alright, enough from the peanut gallery, let's get back to work." Danny concentrated even harder on the case file while Sheldon threw out his Chinese food box and took a Diet Coke from the refrigerator.

"So how's your first day going?" Stella asked, changing the subject.

"It's going pretty good. It took me some time to get acquainted with the lab's layout, but after that…"

She was cut off by a very familiar voice to her, coming from behind her and asking, "Has anyone seen Mac?" She turned around to see Don Flack, a very familiar dark haired, blue eyed detective that she hadn't seen in god knows when.

"Don." She said with a shocked expression.

"Penny." He also said with a very similar expression to hers.

**A/N: There wasn't any Spanish in this chapter, it just didn't fit with what was going on. I promise there will be some next chapter, but please review!**


	3. El Presente Conoce El Pasado

**A/N: This chapter title translates to past meets present. I went to amp for three weeks and forgot to tell my beta, which is why this chapter took a while. Thanks for all of the reviews and alerts, and thanks to my beta, Axellia. Enjoy!**

Both Danny and Sheldon's pagers went off at the same time as Penelope and Don stared at each other, neither one able to say anything out of shock. Danny and Sheldon checked their pagers and gathered their things. Sheldon threw out his Diet Coke and Danny grabbed his folder and they headed for the door, Danny stalling at the doorway.

"We have to go, but I wanna know what this is all about when I get back!" he said, looking directly at Don when he spoke.

"Ditto!" Sheldon yelled as he headed down the hall toward the elevator. Danny left, leaving Adam and Stella still confused.

"Umm…This is awkward." Don rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand and then pointed the same hand at Penelope. "Guys, this is Penelope. We…."

"We grew up together." Penelope filled in, looking at Don and then switching her view to Adam and Stella, awkwardly standing at the counter of the break room. "In Washington Heights. We were neighbors. We also went to high school together."

"We were shocked because we haven't seen each other in a while." Don kept going, while Stella nodded in understanding and Adam rubbed the back of his as Don had just done.

"That's nice. Adam, didn't Mac need you to put a rush on something?" Stella said evenly, looking in Adam's direction.

"Uh, I don't know what you're talking about Stel…" Adam said quietly, then drifted off when it clicked. "Oh yeah! That thing. Uh, we'll see you guys later…" Adam rushed out and down the hall while Stella gathered her things quickly and gave a small wave. "Bye."

"Bye." Penelope said as Stella also left, leaving just her and Don in the break room. Penelope stood there quietly while Don went to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water.

"So I didn't know you worked here." he said with a slightly confused, slightly annoyed expression on his face. He sat down at a small round metal table and waited for her to say something. Anything.

"Today's actually my first day." Penelope said, joining him at the table and crossing her legs. "I didn't think we'd be at the same precinct." she whispered.

Don waited a moment before answering. "Well, I'm glad we were."

"Really?"

"Yeah. That way, I can keep an eye on you so you don't get into trouble." He smiled and leaned back in his chair.

Penelope giggled and uncrossed her legs. "I'd be glad to have you keep an eye on me, even if I can hold my own, which I can."

"I know, I know." Don smiled and put down his water. "So how's Mac been to you so far? Is he giving you a hard time?"

"Not really, but he put me to work fast. He handed me some stuff the minute I stepped off the elevator."

"That's just Mac, don't worry about it. He likes things to get done and fast. So how have you been?" Don switched topics. "How was working in California?"

"I liked it. The people were great, I was working good hours, and the weather was nice and warm…." Penelope smiled.

Don chuckled. "You never got used to the cold, even after living here for so long."

"Remember, I'm from Puerto Rico. _Hace sol y hace calor _is the weather forecast all year round."

"Of course. You and Adam would get along very well; he's from Arizona."

"Have you been brushing up on your Spanish?" Penelope asked, surprised that he knew what she said.

"Just a little." Don leaned in close to Penelope and smiled.

"Penelope looked at her watch to make sure she wasn't going over her break, which she wasn't, and continued. "How are you? How have you been?"

"Good, good. Nothing too exciting going on."

"Nothing? No girlfriend, no promotion, nothing?"

"Nope. No girlfriend, nothing."

Penelope decided to remember that small fact for future purposes and kept going. "How's Sammy?"

"She's okay. How's Sam?"

They were, of course taking about two different people, Sammy being Don's sister and Sam being Penelope's twin brother. They used the same distinction they had used as kids to separate them: Sammy for Sam Flack, Sam for Sam Diaz.

"He's good. He's getting married!"

"Yeah, I got the invite." Don nodded his head. "That's, uh, great for him. Who's the girl?"

"Some girl from Brooklyn that he met from work. She's pretty nice, I bet you'll like her."

Don was about to say something when someone walked in. She had shoulder length dirty blonde hair and brown eyes and looked to be about 5'3''. "Sorry, am I interrupting?"

Again, before Don could get a word in edgewise, Penelope spoke up. "That's fine. Who are you?"

"Lindsay Monroe. I'm looking for Mac Taylor. Do you know here he is?"

Don's pager went off right at that moment. He checked it and turned back to the new girl. "He's at the Bronx Zoo, crime scene there. You're supposed to go right over there. I'll take you, I'm supposed to go too." Don said.

"Ok. Thanks." She left and headed towards the elevators, the same direction which she came from.

Don got up to leave and threw away the water bottle. When he turned to leave, Penelope piped up. "You looked like you had something to tell me. Before she came in."

Don leaned in and whispered into her right ear. "I'm glad you're home." He smiled and left.

Penelope smiled to herself and whispered, "Me too."

**A/N: Please review! Her first day is supposed to be during the episode "Zoo York", in case you couldn't already tell. I know Adam's first appearance wasn't for a few more episodes, but for the sake of the story i moved it up. Here are the Spanish translations for this chapter:**

**Hace sol y hace calor: **sunny and hot


	4. Entiendo

Entre las lineas

"Between the Lines"

Chapter 4: Entiendo

"I understand"

**A/N: This chapter title translates to I understand. It takes place during the episode "Dancing with the Fishes". Thanks for all of the reviews and alerts, and thanks to my beta, Axellia. Sorry I couldn't load this earlier today but there was something wrong with the document manager on fan fiction. Anyways, enjoy!**

Penelope walked down the hall and into the elevator, going down to autopsy. It was about two weeks after her first day, and she was fitting in pretty well. Her and the other new girl, Lindsay. They got along pretty well and enjoyed being part of such a strong team.

Penelope wasn't going down to autopsy for fun, unless you count collecting blood and urine samples for fun. Mac said he would have gotten it himself but he was pretty busy on his case, leaving Penny to fend for herself. And he wanted them ASAP, so she didn't have time to ask another tech or CSI. If she ever wanted to be a CSI, she would probably have to go to the autopsy eventually, right?

She got off at autopsy and wandered through the suite, not seeing anyone. Well, anyone alive at least. "Hello?" she called.

She heard some rustling and someone emerged from the back. He was 6 feet with gray and white hair and glasses with no frame. He had on the typical baby blue scrubs and rubber gloves and plain white sneakers. "Yes? Do you need help?" he asked.

Penelope didn't recognize him. _He must be new, _she thought. "I'm Penelope Diaz. I work up in the tox lab. I need a blood and urine sample from Kia Rowe."

"Dr. Sid Hammerback." He gave her a friendly wave and she waved back. "I just got started, but I'll try to hurry on the sample. I'll page Mac when I get it and have him call you."

"Okay. Thanks!" Penelope said. Suddenly, she started to feel nauseous. She covered her mouth with her right elbow and coughed. "What's that awful smell?"

"Decomposition. You get used to it down here." Sid noticed that Penelope was turning green and frowned. "Is this your first time in the morgue?" he asked.

"Yes." Penelope nodded and coughed again.

"Are you going to be sick?" Sid asked.

"I don't think so, it's just the smell…." Penelope coughed for a third time and waved again to Sid. "I'll see you later." Sid watched her worriedly as she ran out of the autopsy suite and into the elevator. Penelope was glad to get back upstairs and into her non-smelly, clean lab.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

Later in the day, Penelope was walking to the break room for some water when she overheard Danny and Sheldon talking. She couldn't make out much of what they were saying, but Danny sounded upset. Danny came into the break room shortly after her and sat at the small table, while Sheldon took off down the hall.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Penelope asked. She wasn't trying to snoop, she was just curious.

"Nothing." Danny replied rather quickly, rubbing the back of his neck with his left hand.

"You sure?" Penelope asked.

"Yeah, it's just a case." Danny said. He saw Penelope standing still and knew she wouldn't move until he talked. "Okay. This rich guy killed another guy because the rich guy's kid didn't get into a school that the poor guy's kid did."

"A big fancy private school." Penelope filled in.

"Yeah. The rich guy claimed he did it to protect his son. From what? Non rich people? He said the poor guy's son 'didn't belong'." Danny went on.

"I know how the poor kid feels." Penelope said quietly.

"Oh yeah?" Danny questioned and raised an eyebrow. "How's that?"

"I know how it feels to not belong." Penelope continued. "I grew up in Washington Heights, Danny, it's not exactly the richest place in New York." She took a deep breath and pressed on. "For my freshman year of high school, I got into this big fancy private school on scholarship. I was so excited to go. It was an opportunity I didn't think I'd ever have. I ended up leaving after that one year because of the other kids. They taunted me, told me I didn't belong because I wasn't rich. It didn't matter how smart I was, no one respected me because I wasn't rich." Penelope stared at her water and blushed. "It's so stupid."

"No it's not." Danny reached out and touched her right arm. "I get it too. I'm from Staten Island and I'm from a family of cops, we're not exactly billionaires." They chuckled as Danny moved his arm and scratched his head. "It just bugs me how people prejudice money, but you can't let it prevent you from living your life. You know?"

"I know." Penelope nodded. She felt a little better after talking to Danny. "Thanks Danny."

"No problem. So what's up with you and Flack?" Danny grinned from ear to ear, hoping for some dirt.

Penelope smiled, got up and threw her water away. "That's a story for another day. Sorry, Danny!" She shrugged her shoulders and left, heading back to her lab feeling better than before.

**A/N: Sorry there wasn't any Spanish in this chapter, but it just didn't fit with what was going on. I promise there will be some next chapter, but please review!**


	5. Les Presento A

**A/N: This chapter title translates to I'd like you to meet…. I haven't updated in a while, so to make up for it, this chapter is ultra long. Thanks to my general beta, Axellia, and my Spanish beta, MayMarie. Enjoy!**

"Do you guys wanna grab some dinner after shift? Adam posed the question to everyone in the AV lab, which consisted of Mac, Stella, Lindsay, Penelope, Danny and Hawkes as they looked over evidence Adam had analyzed pertaining to their cases. Penelope was just hanging out in the AV lab during her break, as usual. Adam and her had become pretty good friends over the past few weeks.

"I'd love to, but I'm having dinner with my folks afterwards. Sorry." Hawkes said, grabbing a case file and a thumb drive and leaving.

"Yeah, I'm going out with a friend after shift. Maybe some other time." Stella said as she took her video evidence and left.

Penelope could tell Adam was discouraged, so she jumped in. "I'll go."

"Really?" Adam sounded surprised. Not that she wanted to go to dinner with them, but she was usually busy after shift. Which made it strange for her to be free, especially on a Friday night.

"Yeah. I'd love to." She smiled and put her hands in her pocket.

"Me too." Lindsay said.

"I bet Don will want to come; I'll ask him." Penelope added. The room was silent for a few minutes after that before Mac finally spoke.

"Me three." he said.

"Really?" Adam, Lindsay, and Penelope said at the same. The concept of Mac going to dinner after work was brand new to them. Especially with lab geeks like them!

"Why does everyone think I have no social life?" he said with a smirk.

"No reason." Adam stuttered and turned back to his computer quickly, while everyone else pretended to look busy.

"I'd love to. Now go over my video footage from the hotel with me, where exactly did the suspect enter?" Mac referenced to his case, signaling for everyone else to clear out.

"That was strange." Lindsay whispered to Penelope as they walked down the hall. "I didn't think Mac would come, he's such a workaholic."

"I suppose even Mac goes out to eat once in a while." Penelope pondered. "I bet it'll be awkward, going to dinner with our boss."

"I don't know. Maybe he's really chill outside of work." Lindsay said.

"Maybe. I'll see you later." The two women parted in separate directions.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

At the end of the shift, Mac, Lindsay, Penelope and Adam grabbed their jackets and headed out to dinner, discussing possible restaurant ideas. On their way to the elevator, they passed Danny.

"Wanna come to dinner, Danny?" Lindsay asked.

"I gotta pull a double with my case, but thanks for asking!" He ran off in the other direction carrying a few folders.

"What about Flack?" Adam suddenly remembered.

"He's meeting us in the lobby." Penelope replied.

They stepped into the elevator and the doors started to close. As they did, Sid came running around the corner, looking disheveled with his bag, hat and glasses. Penelope grabbed the door and held it open for the exasperated Sid.

"Thanks." he said while catching his breath.

"No problem." Penelope replied quietly. She thought to herself a moment before asking, "Do you any plans tonight, Sid?"

"Unless you count the World Poker Tournament as plans, then no. Why?"

"Well we're all going out to dinner. Would you like to join us?" Penelope invited.

Sid look surprised that she invited him, but gracious. "I'd love to."

"Good." Penelope smiled.

They got to the lobby and there waiting for them was Don Flack. "Hey people." He grinned. "I'm starving. Any ideas where to go?"

Adam and Lindsay shook their heads. "We can't come up with anything to agree on."

Everyone stood silently for a minute until Penelope slowly grinned and stood up straight. "I have an idea." she whispered in Don's ear and he started to laugh. "Really?"

"I bet they'd like it. The food's pretty good since she does all the cooking." Penelope looked him at raised her eyebrows. "What do you think?"

"I think they'll think we're crazy, but let's go for it."

"Go for what?" Adam asked, confused.

"Yeah, what's with the secret plans?" Lindsay frowned.

"Okay, we have an idea. It's not exactly a restaurant, but a…..gathering of a sort. No, it's not a bar or a club. It's kinda like a party. If you guys wanna go, we can. But we won't tell you until we get there. So who's in?" Penny explained. She hoped it would be fine with Abuela Claudia if they brought a few extra guests.

"Okay." Mac said first. The others agreed with him.

"Alright!" Penelope said. "Don, can I go with you? I took the subway in."

"Sure." Don said. "I'll go first, and you guys tail us, alright?"

"I took the subway too. Can I get a ride with someone?" Sid asked.

"Sid, you can ride with me." Mac said and pointed to his car.

"Alright." Sid agreed as they left.

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

"You should really get a car." Don told her as they pulled up to their destination, the others not trailing far behind.

"Why? This is New York City. I can take the subway or walk." Penelope responded, looking out the window.

"Yeah, but wouldn't it be nice to not depend on the subway every morning? I mean, you could still take it some mornings, but it would be easier to just drive."

Penelope sighed as Mac's car pulled up right behind them. "Let's say that I hypothetically get this car. How would I know which one to get?"

"I'll help you pick it out." Don offered he really didn't want to go car shopping, but if meant some alone time with Penny he'd gladly go.

"Really?" Penelope raised her eyebrows. She knew Don hated shopping of any kind. Why was he being so nice when the last time she saw him, she broke his heart?

"Sure. As long as you don't whine." Don got out of the car and came around to open her door.

"Me? Whine? Surely you're mistaken." He helped her out, since stepping down from the Denali could be tricky with four-inch heels on. "Thanks."

"No problem." Don blushed. Whether he liked it or not, he was a gentlemen, something Penelope always loved about him.

"Why did we take the Denali again?" Penelope asked, just realizing how huge the car was.

"Because it's cool."

"Yeah, about as cool as you were in high school."

"I was cool back then!"

"What, with your tube socks and bad Elvis hair? Yeah, you definitely had the 'cool' factor down." Penelope giggled. Lindsay and Adam finally pulled up and everyone convened in front of Don's car.

"Where are we?" Adam asked.

"We're at a house." Lindsay observed, taking around her surroundings. "Somewhere in Washington Heights, maybe?"

"Exactly." Penelope said. "We were supposed to come to a party of sorts with my family, and we thought you guys might enjoy it." Everyone raised their eyebrows at Penelope. "Look, everyone's very friendly, and they're dying to meet you guys. Come on." She waved them on as she started walking towards a house so familiar to her from her childhood.

Sid sighed and started walking. "What does she mean, a party of sorts?"

Lindsay shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not really sure. Let's see what else she has up her sleeve."

Everyone entered the foyer and was greeted with the smell of beans and rice, the sound of music playing and laughter from another room. Penelope took off her coat and took the others. "I'll hang these up. Don, take them to the kitchen. I think Vanessa and Daniela are cooking in there; I can hear them laughing."

Don took Sid, Mac, Lindsay and Adam through a small hallway with fading yellow wallpaper with different pictures hung up. Some looked older, being in black and white and smaller, and others looked new, one with a gold-ish frame where the people had caps and gowns on, whereas the others had wooden frames.

They entered a small kitchen with old white tile covered in foot treads, pink tile on the kitchen counter, and pink wallpaper and pink curtains on the windows. There were three women cooking, one standing at the sink and the other two at the counter next to the oven, all of whom were Latina.

The woman at the sink, tall with red hair fanned out and a red dress on and matching heels, was the first to notice them. _"__¡Nuestros invitados están aquí__!"_ She embraced Don in a big hug. "It's been too long since we've seen this punk here running around the _barrio_." she said, not really directing the statement at anyone.

"I'm Daniela." She introduced herself to the team. "Donny, introduce us to your friends." She smacked him on the arm.

"Geez, you're worse than my mother." he muttered and blushed. "This is Mac, Sid, Adam and Lindsay." He pointed and rubbed the back of his head. "Penny's hanging up coats in the living room. Chances are _Abuela_ Claudia's already got her by now."

"I'm right here!" An older woman with gray hair and a flowery house coat on moved away from the oven where she had previously been standing and hugged Don, causing him to bend over nearly in half since the older woman was quite short. She pulled back, took his face in her hands and sighed.

"_Ay, dios mio_, you've grown so much since we saw you. You need to start visiting us, _cariño._ Your mother wouldn't appreciate this."

"She's also on the phone hounding me to come every weekend, Claudia." He laughed. "How long 'till dinner?"

"Should be about ten minutes." the third woman said. With long, straight, dark hair almost down to her waist, she pulled it up into a pony tail just then, making it fall to her chest. She turned around and smiled. She had on a green tank top, a jean skirt and small, pale kitten heels. Adam's jaw dropped when he saw her, as it always did around women, but she just shrugged it off. "_Hola_. I'm Vanessa. Don, either show them around the house or help cook, don't just stand there. _Hazte útil_."

"I'm going, I'm going." From the outside, Don looked like he stood out, but they seemed like family to him, so Adam, Sid, Mac and Lindsay just went with it.

He walked them through the house, through the rooms with many pictures on the wall and peeling paper, with boxes containing papers and pictures and folders. It was strange to see someone's life through this house, but that's exactly what the team saw. They saw Abuela Claudia's life, and by extension, the lives of the _barrio's_residents.

"Dinner's ready." They heard Penelope yell from downstairs. Everyone trampled down the stairs and into the dining room, where they found Vanessa, Daniela, Claudia, Penelope, and a few other people putting food on the table.

"Where did you go?" Lindsay asked Penelope.

"Nina and Carla kidnapped me momentarily." she joked. "Guys, this is Carla," she pointed to a woman in a yellow t-shirt and jeans with lots of red, curly hair, "and this is Nina." Penelope gestured to a shorter woman, who looked to be about 19 or so, like Carla, also in jeans and a t-shirt, but a light blue shirt.

"Little Nina Rosario, all grown up." Don remarked, walking around the table and giving her a hug. "How ya doing, kid?"

"Good, I just got back from Stanford." Nina replied.

"Wow, that's great Nina! I remember you used to sit on the fire escape and read all the time. It finally paid off, huh?"

"Yeah, it did. It's good to see you Don." she smiled.

"Good to see you too." Don pulled out chairs for Mac, Lindsay, Adam and Sid to sit, Carla and Nina sitting at the same time.

"Did they meet Vanessa, Claudia and Dany?" Penelope asked, still standing.

"Yeah, I was just showing everyone the house. Are we ready to start?" Don asked hungrily, taking a seat.

"Almost. We're waiting on Sonny and Usnavi." Daniela replied, sitting as well.

"What's on the menu tonight?" Mac asked curiously.

"We've got _Empanadas_," Vanessa started, "which are pastries with beef and cheese, Penny's mother's _Arroz con pollo_..."

"My mom's here?" Penny interrupted, surprised but obviously excited.

"Yeah, she went off to find Usnavi and Sonny. Should be back any minute now." Vanessa stated and kept going with the dinner options. "Anyways, _Arroz con pollo_ is rice with chicken, but Penny's mom puts some special sauce and other ingredients in it. We also have _casabe_, which is bread, _Carne Guisada_, basically beef stew, _Taquitos_, kinda like Chimichangas, _Escabeche_**, **fish and veggies,and lots of salad."

"Wow, this is quite a meal you put together. We appreciate it very much." Sid exclaimed.

"We all brought a little something-something, so it wasn't too difficult. But we're glad you're glad. Now dig in and eat!"

Just as people started to put food on their plates, the door opened and two men walked in, one younger looking and wearing a blue baseball cap, black gym shorts and a gray t-shirt, the other older one wearing jeans, a red polo and a hat. They were followed by a beautiful woman whom Penelope resembled quite a bit, wearing a purple dress and black heels with shoulder length dark hair and dark eyes.

"Mom!" Penelope rushed towards the woman and they embraced.

"_Mija, ¡Qué bueno verte!_" The older woman said and they broke apart. "You've grown so much."

_"__¡Mamá, es bueno verte también!_ And I haven't grown that much. In fact, I don't think I've gotten any taller or fatter since the last time you saw me." Penelope said.

"Well you certainly look older. Who are your friends?" Penelope introduced her mother, as well as Sonny, the younger one, and Usnavi, the older one.

Once that was done, everyone finally sat down to eat at the large table. It was a tight squeeze with 14 people at the table but they all managed to fit. The food was being passed around the table and soon everyone was laughing from stories of Penelope and Don's life in Washington Heights.

A/N: Here's the Spanish for this chapter:

**Barrio: **check chapter one

**Abuela: **grandma

**Hola:** check chapter one

**¡Nuestros invitados están aquí!:** our guests are here!

**Ay, dios mio:** oh my god

**Cariño:** little one

**Hazte útil:** make yourself useful

**Mija, ¡Qué bueno verte!:** My darling daughter, it's so good to see you!

**¡Mamá, es bueno verte también!:** Mama, I'm glad to see you too!


	6. Comprando un Coche

**A/N: This chapter title translates to buying a car. Thanks to my general beta, Axellia, my Spanish beta, MayMarie, and to ****IluvmyTV-ugottaproblem** **and Bmangaka, who reviewed the last chapter****. Enjoy!**

Penelope sighed and rubbed her eyes. Why in the world had Don insisted to go car shopping at 7 am? She had hoped to sleep in since it was her day off, but Don had other ideas about that.

"What about this one?" He pointed out a red convertible. She yawned once again, took a sip of her coffee, and stretched her arms.

"I don't know, Don. I'm not really a convertible type of person. Plus, we live in New York City. The only time I'll be able to use the convertible roof is in the summer, and I'd get a whole bunch a smoke and crap from the air in my face while driving."

Don rubbed the space between his eyes with his fingers and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Why do you keep finding something wrong with every car I point out?" He checked his watch. "It's almost 9. We've been here almost two hours, and you don't like one car?"

"Well, why do I even need a car?" Penelope rebutted. "I can just take the subway like I do now and walk. "

"Because it's so much easier to have a car. The subway doesn't go that far out of the city, and wouldn't it be nice to drive instead of being crammed with 100 other people in a subway car in the mornings?" Don was trying to be nice and help her, but she was being a pain in the ass and he had just about had enough.

"Maybe I like being crammed in the subway." Penelope said in an almost child-like voice. She wasn't giving in, no way no how.

Don finally threw out his empty coffee cup and threw his hands in the air. "I give up! You won't take any of my suggestions, you refuse to test drive anything, and you're being a pain in my ass! I'm trying to be nice and help you. I could be at home sleeping but no, I'm standing in the freezing cold, trying to help you pick out a car." He finally put his hands down, took a breath and let his face return to a normal color from the red-ish shade it had turned. "Look, if you stopped being so stubborn for a second, maybe you would find something you actually like."

Penelope was a bit taken back by Don's cry of frustration. She wasn't purposely trying to be annoying or stubborn, but she really didn't see the need to get a car! She finished off her coffee, threw it out and rubbed her hands together. She had to make a mental note to start wearing gloves. "I think I already did."

"What?" Don asked, almost not believing his ears.

"That little black car you showed me. It was one of the first. I liked it. I think it was a Nissan Versa."

"Why didn't you mention this when I showed it to you?" Don asked, confused.

"I wanted to see how long you'd put up with me." Penelope smirked.

Don snorted and chuckled. "You'd know I'd put up with you for much longer than this. We were together for what, 7 years?"

"Yeah, something like that." Penelope brushed off the subject and moved on. She didn't want to be brisk, but she worried his resentment that she assumed he'd been holding for her all these years might come up, and she wasn't ready to talk about it. Not yet anyway.

"Anyways," she continued, somewhat awkwardly, "I think I'll take it for a test drive. You gonna stick around?"

"I want to come." Penelope gave him a confused look. "I want to see how you drive."

"I think you'll be slightly appalled, but okay." They went to talk to the salesman about the car, and she noticed Don's hanging right hand bumping her left one slightly, almost on purpose.


	7. El Colegio

**A/N: This chapter title translates to high school. Thanks to my general beta, Axellia, my Spanish beta, MayMarie, and to IluvmyTV-ugottaproblem** **and Axellia, who reviewed the last chapter****. This chapter takes place during the episode Cool Hunter, but I changed one or two things for the story's purposes. Enjoy!**

"I was not!" Penelope argued as she and Don walked through the halls of the New York Crime Lab.

"Oh yes you were! You just don't want to admit it!" Don rebutted. They continued arguing in the format of "No I wasn't!" Yes you were!" until they reached the break room. Lindsay, Sheldon and Danny were all talking about a case when Penelope and Don walked in, bickering.

"You so were!" Don disputed, pouring him and Penelope coffee.

"Thanks." She took the cup, added cream and took a sip. "No I wasn't! You maybe, but definitely not me." He just rolled his eyes as Danny checked his watch, looked at Lindsay and Sheldon. He put the folder away and folded his hands.

"What are you guys arguing about now?" Danny asked, clearly interested.

"Ah, it's nothing." Penelope brushed off gently. She thought about it for a minute before deciding to ask them in a nonchalant way. "Do you think that just because someone takes a specific stereotype in high school, let's say a cheerleader, that they were popular or unpopular?"

"I think it depends on what you mean by 'popular'." Sheldon replied, adjusting his glasses and sitting up a little.

Penelope sighed quietly. "She had lots of friends, very pretty, came off as sort of perfect. That kind of popular, the very superficial kind."

"Then sure. She sounds like she filled out the typical cheerleader stereotype to a T. Would this hypothetical 'she' be you, by any chance?" Sheldon sat back and waited for his answered.

"Yes!" Don stole the words right out of Penelope's mouth. "She was very much a typical, popular cheerleader in high school and she refuses to admit it."

"That because I wasn't!" Penelope tried to argue, but she knew it was a lost cause.

"You sure sound it. Popular, I mean." Lindsay commented.

"She hates to talk about it." Don whispered in a playful tone. "She says it's too superficial."

"That's because it is. Was. Whatever!" Penelope scoffed and poured another cup of coffee, while Danny munched on an apple and Lindsay sipped on a Diet Coke.

"Sounds like someone didn't want to let go of high school." Danny raised an eyebrow and took a bite of his apple.

"I moved on!" Penelope started. She took a breath and continued. "But you're right, I liked high school. A lot. Everything was so simple back then, you know? No responsibilities, not a care in the world. Just you and the little confined universe you grew up in."

Don sensed the depressing tone behind the statement and commented. "It doesn't matter if you like high school or not, 'cause you were still popular!"

"Shut up! And anyways, you were a big nerd in high school." Penelope playfully jested.

"I was not!"

"Yes you were! You were as tall as you are now, so you towered over everyone else. Thank god you played basketball because it turned the team around completely. But you had the slicked back Elvis hair and the Members Only jacket and your weird tube socks..."

"The tube socks were a gift from my grandmother, I'll have you know." Don interrupted.

"That doesn't mean you had to wear them!" Penelope teased. "You were too sweet for your own good. That's another thing! You used to hit on all the girls, even the ones far out of your league."

"You mean you?" Lindsay asked, making Penelope and Don realize there were three other people in the room, listening intensely to their conversation right now.

"I guess." Penelope whispered.

"But hey, it worked didn't it?" Don smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, it did. But I also grew up with you, Don. It was different."

There was an awkward pause before Sheldon made an excuse and left, leaving Danny and Lindsay.

"Are you gonna tell us what went down between you guys or not?" Danny abruptly asked.

Don looked to Penelope. "Should we?"

Penelope shrugged her shoulders. "Why not? I'll start." She cleared her throat and straightened up a little. "Don and I dated most of high school and some after that. She shot him a quick glance. "You continue."

"All right. On our high school graduation day, I proposed to Penny and she said yes." Don paused for a reaction from his coworkers. Anything, just to make sure they were still listening.

"You guys were engaged?" Lindsay asked. Danny had a shocked look on his face for about a second, the puzzlement overcame him.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Well..." Penelope started to continue, but Mac abruptly walked in with two slips of paper in his hands.

"Danny, you're with Stella. 419 over in Washington Heights." He paused for a moment and glanced at Penelope. "You wanna tag along, Diaz?"

"Really?" Penelope asked, flattered by the offer.

"Sure. You put in for fieldwork, you know the area. Go with Danny, Stella will meet you guys there." He patted Danny on the back and Danny and Penelope took off down the hall, chattering away.

"Lindsay, you're with me and Sheldon. Potential 422. Apparently there's blood leaking from the faucets at this place." Lindsay raised her eyebrows at Mac as he continued. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Let's just go and see what's there. You too, Flack." The three of them left for the crime scene, Mac completely unaware of what he interrupted.


	8. Adam enamoradado

Chapter 8:

"Adam in love"

**A/N: This chapter title translates to Adam in love. Thanks to my betas, Axellia and MayMarie, and to IluvmyTV-ugottaproblem** **and you cant rush science, who reviewed the last chapter****. This chapter takes place during the last chapter, but the flashback is from between chapters three and four. There are small but important things that I've changed because it's from Adam's perspective. See if you can guess them. Enjoy!**

Adam watched quietly as Penny, Flack, Hawkes, Lindsay and Danny talked in the break room, laughing and smiling. He noticed how Penny threw her head back just slightly, but enough for him to notice, when she laughed. The way her lips formed an oval, the way her hair fell, the way her whole body moved in general...

Adam tried to shake the thoughts out of his head and concentrate on his work. After all, Penny was his friend. He gave her a tour when she got here. He went to her family's house for dinner (with a few other lab people). He even had Chinese food with her in the AV lab one night they both worked extra late.

*flashback*

_Adam was spent. He could go home and sleep for a week, he was so tired. Mac had him pulling doubles and overtime, adding up to almost 19 hours a day! Adam shut down his laptop, rubbed his eyes and went to kill the main power switch for the AV lab when Penny walked in__. She was__ holding a brown canvas bag with the words "be kind to the earth" stamped in green on it that smelled far too good to have a laptop in it._

_"You retiring for the night?" she asked, looking around curiously, the same way she __had__ on her first day __there__._

_"I was planning to, but your bag smells really good, so maybe that'll change," Adam joked._

_Penny giggled: a good sign to Adam. "It's Chinese. I picked it up at this little place down the street. I was wondering if you wanted to hang a little and eat."_

_Adam really wanted to tell her he was tired and needed some sleep, but a pretty girl offering him food and company? How could he resist that offer?_

"_Sure." Adam held back a yawn as best he could as he pulled a chair over to the main desk, put his laptop in his bag and cleared the numerous papers and folders off, transferring them to various tables._

_Penny pulled out the boxes, chopsticks and napkins and soon they were dining in the typical style of single, young people: eating out of the box. They even ended up using the wide screen TV to watch one of their unanimously favorite movies: "Groundhog Day"._

_The night flew by for Adam, and it didn't really hit him about what happened until he got home. But the fuzzy feeling he had when he was eating with Penny, he had been fully aware of for the past three hours._

*flashback*

Penny's voice as she laughed again snapped Adam back into reality. Suddenly, the sight of Flack with his hand resting on Penny's hip ever so lightly got to him, so he fake-paged Hawkes. He had to know what was going on.

Hawkes awkwardly left and walked to the lab where Adam was observing across the hall.

"What's up, man?" Hawkes asked, adjusting his glasses.

"What's going on with Penny and Don? Are they... You know?" Adam asked, uncertain of having his crush shattered by the response he'd get and the one he wanted to hear.

"That's what you called me over here for?" Hawkes asked, annoyed.

"Please, you were on your way out anyways. Didn't look like you guys were having such an awesome time aside."

Hawkes sighed. "Yeah, I really wasn't. It was all starting to sound like one huge soap opera. They starting talking about dating in high school and…"

"Shhh!" Adam shushed him as he took a second to pinch himself, to see if what Lindsay had said was really true.

"_You guys were engaged?"_

The words cut through him like a whipping cold wind on a January night. The words played over and over again as he tried to not believe that his best friend, the girl he loved, was almost some other guy's wife.

_Oh, shit._

_Did he just say love?_

"Adam? Adam!" Hawkes tried to get the young lab geek's attention, but it was no use. He was in a minor state of shock and disbelief. Aside from the fact that Penny had been engaged to Don Flack, the best looking guy in the precinct and possibly the whole NYPD, unanimously voted on the by female members of the lab, he had just admitted to being in love with the most beautiful, unobtainable girl in the lab. What was he to do?


	9. Diciéndole

Chapter 9:

" Telling her"

**A/N: Hello readers! For those of you still with me, I know it's been an incredible amount of time, but I switched schools and got so busy that I completely forgot about fanfiction. But here I am, and I'll be posting stuff again, sparingly, at least for now. In the meanwhile, here's a short chapter 9 to get people interested again. It's actually a one-shot type thing that I wrote when I was originally writing this story, but I decided you guys might like it, so it's now chapter nine. ****This chapter isn't beta-d by anyone, and it's kind of different than the other chapters, but keep in mind that I haven't written for this story in a long time, so it's going to sound a little different (I hope not too much to turn you away!). Anyways, I'll get on with the story now, so enjoy! ****Also, it takes place like 2 hours after the last chapter. Just so you have an idea.**

Penelope and Adam walked through the streets, eager. They both had to work longer than usual, and Adam was sick of ordering chinese food all the time, so they decided to switch it up and get pizza. Since they worked together and they were best friends, they had ended up eating together more often than not.

They were really a mismatched pair: Penny, the beautiful chemistry genius with a wild streak, and Adam, the quirky awkward lab geek. Still, they had become good friends over the past few months. She had really been there for Adam when his apartment was flooded, even letting him sleep on her couch for a few days. Adam was by her side, watching romantic comedies with her and letting her cry on his shoulder, after her boyfriend left her for a college girl. They had become good friends. Which is why Adam decided to tell Penelope that he loved her.

They sat down with their greasy, cheesy New York classic pizza and diet Cokes for both of them when Adam pictured how their life could be together. He saw her moving in, boxes spread all over the floor while they laid together on the couch in exhaustion, as she blabbered on and on about some case she was instrumental in solving. He saw them on their honeymoon in Puerto Rico, laying on the beach together and drinking margaritas, as she threw a napkin at him, saying he had grease on his nose. He saw them growing old together, sitting in rocking chairs in front of their house with a white picket fence, as she sighed, rubbed her eyes and asked if he was ready to leave.

"There's something I have to tell you first," Adam whispered just loud enough for her to hear.

"Okay. Shoot." Penelope said, folding her hands in her lap, diligently listening.

"I..." Adam started.

Just then, both of their pagers went off, and they ran out the door back to work before Adam could say another word.

Hours later, long after the pizza, Mac finally released them both for a solid 12 hours, until the next days shift started. Penelope stepped onto the elevator and breathed a deep sigh of relief. She could finally go home and sleep like she had been desperate for so many hours ago during pizza. Speaking of pizza, she wondered, what did Adam want to tell me so badly?

Just as those thoughts formed in her mind, Adam came dashing out of the lab, obviously trying to leave quickly before Mac could chain him to his table to work for even longer. Penelope held the elevator door while Adam flew down the hall, down the stairs and straight into the elevator.

"Phew. Thanks for holding the door. I wasn't sure I could make it out of here fast enough." Adam said, smiling.

"Sure, anytime." Penelope said quietly. She looked at her feet, while Adam watched the numbers count down from 34, taking them to the lobby.

At level 25, Penelope thought she could handle the awkward silence of unspoken words that lay between them.

At level 17, she could feel her face getting hot and red with embarrassment.

Finally, at level 9, she couldn't take it any longer. "What did you want to tell me at the pizza store?"

Adam blushed and stammered. "oh, well it's not really important. We don't have to talk about it."

"You said you had to tell me," she pressed. "What is it? You can tell me anything."

Adam started to sweat. He watched the numbers go down quicker and quicker.

9,8,7. "Uh..."

6,5. "Well..."

4,3. "The thing is..."

2. "I..."

1. "I love you."

Penelope all but gasped as the doors to the elevator opened and the crowded noise of the lobby overtook their conversation. Before she could udder a response, Adam disappeared into the crowd, and she was left staring into the crowd, wondering what had just happened.


	10. La Charla

Chapter 10

"The Talk"

**A/N: So clearly, I'm bringing this story back. It'll only go on for a few chapters, but once I remembered that I'd left it and you guys hanging hanging, I couldn't bear to do that anymore. So it'll only be two more chapters or so,but I hope you enjoy! Also, this chapter takes place during the episode "****Necrophilia Americana**". 

Penelope stared at the colorful artwork on the wall and noticed the extravagant chandelier above her as the waiter placed french fries and a cup of frozen hot chocolate in front of her.

Adam pretended to be busy adjusting a button on his shirt when his hamburger and diet Coke arrived, not even noticing the waitress that smiled at him as she delivered his lunch.

It was perfectly clear that neither one of them wanted to bring up the reason why they were meeting at Serendipity's that Wednesday afternoon.

Adam was terrified she would reject him. After all, they were best friends, and to tell your best friend "I love you" can leave some awkward and confusing feelings.

But they had to talk. They had been avoiding each other as much as they could for the past few weeks , but for professional reasons that wasn't working out so well.

"So..." Penelope started. She wanted to say something, but only then did she realize that she had no idea what to say. More than anything, she didn't know how to respond to the topic they were supposed to be discussing.

"So..." Adam continued. He let go of his shirt button and grasped his knees tightly. "I guess we should talk."

Penelope pushed a clump of hair behind her ear as the large group sitting next to them all stood up at the same time. The chairs screeched across the floor, temporarily impairing their hearing. Once the crowd cleared out, Penelope took a deep breath and spoke. "Yeah, I guess we should."

The main reason behind why Adam hadn't touched his lunch yet was because his hands were shaking so much he was afraid he would do something ridiculous and embarrassing. He couldn't afford to make this situation worse than it already was, so he just left his hands on his knees, caressing them as he spoke.

"Look, I overheard you and Don recounting your history to everyone else, and I figured that you guys would get back together soon, but then I thought, ya know, 'carpe diem', seize the day, and while you probably wouldn't go for a guy like me, we are really good friends and I just had to tell you that I really care about you and..."

Penelope was taken aback by how fast Adam was talking, never mind what he was saying. "Slow down! You don't need to set a land speed record for talking." She giggled. Clearly, he was nervous.

Adam gulped and scratched the back of his neck. He was not good at talking about his feelings, and girls generally made him nervous. Together, they were a deadly combination.

"Okay, why don't I start?" Penelope decided. Adam just nodded and looked his plate. "I..." She trailed off, her confidence wavering. "Well first off, I'm not getting back together with Don."

Adam's ears immediately perked up at this. "Really?"

"Really. Yes, we used to have a thing, but it was an amicable split. We're just friends now."

Adam breathed a deep sigh of relief at this. Not only would her ex-fiance leave them alone, but she didn't have lingering feelings for him, making it much easier on Adam.

"Second, while we are extremely close, that was kind of a sudden thing to say." Penelope commented.

"I know, I know, but when I heard you telling everyone about Don and you, I just got so nervous, and I didn't want to lose you."

"Lose me?" Penelope laughed a little at this. "Adam," she said as she grasped the top of his hand, both of which laid on the table in front of him, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay, good." Even Adam started to laugh at the ridiculous notion. Soon they were both laughing, not because it was funny, but because it was so uncomfortable that only laughter could solve it in that moment. Once they both settled down, they scarfed down the food ordered long ago, now bordering between lukewarm and stone cold, and started to leave Serendipity's.

However, the minute they stepped out the door, who came walking down the street but Don Flack himself. He waved to the two and sped up his step.

Once he appeared in front of them, Don had a big grin on his face, mostly out of confusion. "Hey guys," he started, "what's up?"

"Oh not much, just grabbing some lunch," Penelope brushed off. "What's up with you? Are you out on a case?"

"Nah, just taking a walk, getting some fresh air." Don looked from Penelope to Adam and back. "Say Penny," he started, knowing this would end bad for Adam, "I was just heading home for a bit. My mom's making some pot roast. Care to join me?"

"Uh..." Penelope started. She didn't want to abandon Adam, having just avoiding a huge talk. But she knew Don's mom made a mean pot roast, and she hadn't gotten much of a chance to talk about what had happened in the office.

"It's totally okay, go ahead." Adam jumped in. He could tell she wanted to go, and the last thing he wanted was to force her to hang out all day when it was both uncomfortable and not what they wanted to do. Penelope looked at Adam, surprised. "Honestly, it's cool. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay. Thanks, Adam. I'll see you later." With that, Penelope and Don left in one direction, and Adam in the other.


End file.
